
UPDATE: Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter is reported to have been aboard the helicopter. She too was killed in the crash.
In case you need a reminder that life is fleeting, we learn today that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash.
Bryant was reportedly in his private helicopter with three other people when it crashed. None of the five passengers including the pilot survived. According to reports, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife was not one of the passengers.
ESPN tweeted:
Kobe Bryant was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash, as first reported by TMZ and confirmed by @wojespn.
He was 41. pic.twitter.com/jt4ccu2Rw4
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2020
We are not sure why Bryant and the other passengers were in the helicopter, but conditions were reported to be foggy when the aircraft went down and burst into flames.
The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road, south of Agoura Road, according to a watch commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The ensuing fire made it difficult for firefighters and emergency personnel to get to the aircraft, according to the watch commander. However, Bryant and the others onboard were likely dead from the crash.
According to sources, there were no homes in the area, and no roadways were impacted.
The aircraft was a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter can accommodate 14 people including two pilots. So clearly there wasn’t a weight issue. Nevertheless, as with all crashes, the FAA will investigate.
One the human side of this issue, one must wonder what Bryant thought, as the helicopter showed signs of trouble. Was he thinking about his NBA career or his family? Did he consider all that he accomplished or all he wished he had.
Each day supposedly 187,000 people die all over the world. Few know when their moment will occur. I doubt Kobe Bryant awakened this morning, believing today was his day to die. Most of us aren’t quite that morbid. But we really don’t know, do we.
I suggest that many whom attack America and specifically Conservative Americans consider the unexpected death of Kobe Bryant as a wake-up call. Life is too short to be angry and divisive.